At Parliament House, the Senate Standing Committee on Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony met under the chairmanship of Senator Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri. According to a national daily, the committee’s main agenda item was a critical discussion of a recent letter from Saudi Arabia recommending a severe reduction in the number of Hajj operators in Pakistan, from 905 to just 46.
Aneeq Ahmed, the interim federal minister for religious affairs and interfaith harmony, reiterated Saudi Arabia’s goal to improve pilgrim facilities by referencing the letter’s delivery to all Muslim countries. The Senate Committee expressed opposition to the reduction proposal, advocating an exemption for Hajj operators in 2024 and pushing for an increase to the 100 operators that the Saudi government had offered.
Officials gave information about the 2023 Hajj, showing a quota of 179,210 pilgrims who would be shared equally between the public and private sectors. Discussions also focused on the potential extension of the Road to Makkah Project from the Islamabad Airport to Karachi and Lahore in order to accommodate additional Hujjaj.
The Ministry of Religious Affairs suggested a shorter pilgrimage period for the Hajj in the upcoming year, offering travellers the option of selecting a period lasting between 18 and 20 days in an effort to improve accessibility and manageability. This action represents a huge step towards making the Hajj experience easier and more accessible.
